LR-AShM at Republic Day Parade

At the 77th Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) showcased the Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) for the first time.

The missile represents a major step in strengthening India’s long-range maritime strike and sea-denial capability.

What is LR-AShM?

Aspect	Details
Missile Type	A hypersonic glide missile with a quasi-ballistic flight profile.
Primary Role	Designed for the coastal battery requirements of the Indian Navy.
Coastal Battery	A land-based system of artillery or missiles designed to protect coastlines from enemy ships.
Present Range	Has a range of about 1,500 km.
Future Development	Future variants with ranges up to 3,500 km are under development.

How does the Missile Work?

Feature	Explanation
Speed	Can reach initial speeds up to Mach 10, with an average speed of around Mach 5 during flight.
Trajectory	Follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory — begins like a ballistic missile, then flies lower and manoeuvres inside the atmosphere.
Multiple Skips	Performs multiple skips during flight, increasing unpredictability and making interception difficult.
Key Advantage	Low-altitude, high-speed, and highly manoeuvrable flight makes it difficult for ship- and ground-based radars to detect or track.

Why Hypersonic Glide Missiles Matter

Importance	Explanation
Reduced Reaction Time	Extreme speed drastically reduces the response time available to adversaries.
Missile Defence Evasion	High manoeuvrability helps evade missile defence systems.
Sea Denial Capability	Can neutralise all classes of warships and prevent adversaries from safely using key maritime zones.

PT Facts

LR-AShM: Stands for Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile.
AShM: Stands for Anti-Ship Missile.
Hypersonic Glide Vehicles: Travel at very high speed and manoeuvre inside the atmosphere.
Sea Denial: Means preventing an adversary from safely using a maritime area.

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